Optimization of Production Plan of Hebron Drinks using Operational Research Technique

Manufacturing companies frequently face challenging operational problems. In such business environment, operations that compete for the same resources must be planned in a way that deadlines are met. Certain expertise in optimization is often required for successful solution of these problems. In this paper, we attempted to optimize the production plan of a manufacturing company - Hebron Drinks, by minimizing the Labour hours, Marching hours and Materials used in producing six different types of products. Linear programming technique was use to model the production plan of Hebron Drinks. The resulted model was solved using simplex method with the aid of computer software (LIP Solver 1.11.1 and 1.11.0). The optimal value obtained shows a reduction in the total cost of production for the period considered

Livestock Browsing Threatens the Survival of Balanites aegyptiaca Seedlings and Saplings in Dinder Biosphere Reserve, Sudan

This research article published by Taylor & Francis Online, 2021While the impact of livestock grazing has been frequently assessed for grasses, little is known about how livestock affects tree seedlings and saplings. We explored the effects of goat, cattle and camel browsing on the survival of Balanites aegyptiaca seedlings and saplings, a broadleaved evergreen tree species indigenous to Sudan, in Dinder Biosphere Reserve-Sudan (DBR). We used a stratified sampling design with four sites: GOA (mainly browsed by goats), CAT and CAM being mainly browsed by cattle and camels, respectively, while CON was a control area without any livestock browsing. We tested the survival, mortality and recovery of seedlings and saplings across different sites. Our results revealed that mortalities of seedlings in GOA were almost four times higher than that of CAM and CON and twice that of CAT (F3,196 = 100.39, P < .001). Further, sapling mortality was three times higher in GOA than that observed in CAT and CON (F3,196 = 73.4, P < .001). We found that seedlings recover better than saplings, and, unexpectedly, goat browsing severely affected the natural regeneration of B. aegyptiaca in DBR compared to other livestock species. Our study findings contribute to sustainable forest management and show that particularly goat browsing needs to be suppressed for conservation of vulnerable tree species

A New Polarization-Reconfigurable Antenna for 5G Wireless Communications

YesThis paper presents a circular polarization reconfigurable antenna for 5G applications, which is compact in size and has good axial ratio and frequency response. The proposed microstrip antenna is designed on a FR-4 substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 4.3 and has a maximum size of 30×30 mm2 with 50 Ω coaxial probe feeding. This design has two PIN diode switches controlling reconfiguration between right hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left hand circular polarization (LHCP). To achieve reconfigurability, a C-slot rectangular patch antenna with truncated corner techniques is employed by cutting off two corners on the radiating patch. The proposed antenna has been simulated using CST microwave studio software: it has 3.35-3.77 GHz and 3.4-3.72 GHz bands for both states of reconfiguration, and each is suitable for 5G applications with a good axial ratio of less than 1.8 dB and good gain of 4.8 dB for both modes of operation.Innovation programme under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-722424, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant EP/E022936/1

Loss of Niemann-Pick C1 or C2 Protein Results in Similar Biochemical Changes Suggesting That These Proteins Function in a Common Lysosomal Pathway

Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids in the endolysosomal system. NPC disease results from a defect in either of two distinct cholesterol-binding proteins: a transmembrane protein, NPC1, and a small soluble protein, NPC2. NPC1 and NPC2 are thought to function closely in the export of lysosomal cholesterol with both proteins binding cholesterol in vitro but they may have unrelated lysosomal roles. To investigate this possibility, we compared biochemical consequences of the loss of either protein. Analyses of lysosome-enriched subcellular fractions from brain and liver revealed similar decreases in buoyant densities of lysosomes from NPC1 or NPC2 deficient mice compared to controls. The subcellular distribution of both proteins was similar and paralleled a lysosomal marker. In liver, absence of either NPC1 or NPC2 resulted in similar alterations in the carbohydrate processing of the lysosomal protease, tripeptidyl peptidase I. These results highlight biochemical alterations in the lysosomal system of the NPC-mutant mice that appear secondary to lipid storage. In addition, the similarity in biochemical phenotypes resulting from either NPC1 or NPC2 deficiency supports models in which the function of these two proteins within lysosomes are linked closely